Beverage cooler



Dec. 24, 1935. w, D. MARING 2,025,118

BEVERAGE COOLER INVENTOR I Walier D. MOY'HIS ATTORNEYS Dec. 24, 1935. -w. D MARING 2,025,118

BEVERAGE COOLER Filed 001;. 16, 1933 s Sheets-Sheet s 45 INVENTOR Wcflrer D. Marmg BY i ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE BEVERAGE COOLER Walter D. Maring, New York, N. Y., assignor to The Fred Goat Co. Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York This invention relates to refrigerating app ratus and more particularly to a cooler for beverages.

The primary object of my invention is to generally improve beverage coolers suitable for the cooling of any beverage drawn through a tap or spigot, and especially adapted for the cooling of draught beer. A more particularized object is to provide a cooler adapted for either slow or fast consumption of beverage and capable, on the one hand, of instantaneously responding to a run of customers, and, on the other hand, economical in the consumption of refrigerant when business is slow. A fin'ther object is to eliminate the waste of one or more initial drinks when no sale has been made for a substantial period, this being' done by reducing the size of the cooling unit to so compact a dimension that it may be localized at the tap just beneath the counter, the tap being located substantially at the outlet of the cooling coil.

Further objects reside in the provision of a beverage cooling unit which is clean and simple, requiring no motor or compressor, and which I ondly, after utilization for refrigeration, for elevating the beverage frbm its container upwardly through the cooling coil and to the tap. A further feature of my invention resides in the provision of a safety valve for limiting the elevating pressure applied to the beverage container. Still another object of the invention is to prevent excessive cooling and particularly freezing of the beverage despite the use of carbon dioxide as a refrigerant, and with this object in view 1 cmploy an intermediate liquid between the carbon dioxide and the :ooling coil.

In accordance with furtherfeatures and objects of my invention, separate cooling units are provided at each-tap on the counter, and each unit is arranged to refrigerate only as needed at that particular tap; The supply of 'liquid carbon dioxide is preferably controlled by a valve unstably reciprocable between a fully on and a fully oif position, and the movement of the valve is automatically controlled'in response to the conditions of refrigeration in the Still another object of the present invention is to make the unit leak-proof without necessitating expensive ground joints. A further feature of my invention centers about the use of an expansion dome for carbon dioxide, said dome being in the form of an inverted cone made of a somewhat flexible material affording expansion of the liquid surrounding the cooling coil and aiding in the automatic temperature control of the unit.

'To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the beverage cooler elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter 'are more particularly described in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through a beverage cooling unit embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken in the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing the valve mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken in the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 1, showing the solidifier and safety valve mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken in the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and shows the expansion dome and valve control mechanism;

Fig. 51s a plan view of the unit;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section through the expansion jet;

Fig. '7 is a section through a modification;

Fig. 8 is a section on line" 88 of Fig. I; 1

Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of connections.

Referring to the drawings, the complete unit A is generally cylindrical in configuration and is provided with a beverage cooling coil B at the upper part thereof. This coil is immersed in a tank of intermediate liquid or brine C. The carbon dioxide is supplied from a tank of liquid carbon dioxide ,to valve mechanism generally indicated at D through which it flows upwardly to an expansion jet E. This results in the formation of solid carbon dioxide which fills the expansion chamber, said expansion chamber completely surrounding brine tank C and being formed between the brine tank and an outer casing F. The expansion chamber further includes an expansion dome G located immediately above the jet E, this dome being preferably made generally in the form of a cone and of somewhat flexible material. The 9peratlongof the valve mechanism D is controlled of conventional type.

in response to movement'of a diaphragm H forming a part of the bottom wall of the expansion chamber and. responsive to the formation of solid carbon dioxide in the expansion chamber. The top of easing F is provided with solidifler screen devices J which permit the evolution of gaseous carbon dioxide as heat is abstracted from the intermediate fluid and the beverage cooling coil. The gaseous carbon dioxide is conveyed through an appropriate conduit to a container of the beverage in order to provide. an elevating pressure for forcing the beverage upwardly to the cooling coil and the tap. carbon dioxide is doubly employed: first, for refrigeration; and secondly, for elevating the beverage. 2

Considering the apparatus in greater detail, the complete unit A is small and preferably mounted at or immediately beneath the counter. Beverage is supplied 'to the unit from av container through a pipe I2 leading to an inlet I4 at the top of the unit. The beverage then flows downwardly to the inlet end I6 of the cooling coilB through which it circulates until it reaches the discharge end I8 which in turn is connected to a discharge or outlet fixture 20 connected through a pipe 220i negligible length to an appropriate tap It may be noted that the cooling coil B is suspended in place by the inlet and outlet fixtures I4 and 20, and that these fixtures, through the use of intermediate spacing washers 24 preferably made of rubber, also serve to suspend and position the inner tank or. container C within the casing.

The inner casing C is made up of a cylindrical wall 26 and flanged top and bottom walls 28 and 30, these walls being appropriately secured together to form leak-proof joints. The container C is fllled with fluid through an inlet 32, tightly appropriate fluid depending upon the requirements of anyparticular installation. It is desir-' able to avoid excessive chilling of the beverage, and. it is particularly important with beer and most other beverages to avoid actual freezing. The relation of the ,volume and density of solid carbon dioxide to the volume of the intermediate tank C and to the radiation area of the unit, etc., governs the minimum temperature attainable in the static condition when no beverage is'drawn. I adjust these factors to keep this minimum temperature above, say, 34 F.

The liquid carbon dioxide or refrigerant is supplied from a cylinder or liquefier of conventional type, through a, pipe 36 connected at one side near the bottom of the unit and leading through a pipe 88 to a valve casing 40, as is best shown in Fig. 4. The valve proper 42 is vertically reciprocable in the valve casing and is provided with a ground upper end movable against a valve seat 44 formed at the lower end of a nozzle 46 screwed into the top of the valve casing 40. The valve 42 is moved by an oscillatable camming element 48 consisting of a generally circular disc cut away at one side to form an operating finger 50 resting in a notch formed in one side of the valve 42. camming element or disc 48 is provided with trunnions 52 and 54. the trunnion 54 being pro- It will thus be seen that the The.

vided with an operating arm 56. It will thus be evident that upon oscillation of arm 56 upwardly and downwardly, the valve 42 is oppositely moved and thereby opened or closed.

It is important to prevent leakage of carbon dioxide through the valve operating mechanism. Ordinarily expensive accurately ground joints are employed. In the present case leakage is prevented by simple and inexpensive mechanism through the use. of a sealing disc 58 subjected to torsionwhen the valve is operated. Leakage on one side of the camming disc 48 is prevented by making trunnion 52 short and fully enclosing the same within the valve casing 40. End thrust of trunnion 52 is taken on a ball bearing 60. The opposite or open side of the casing is closed by a threaded closure 62 provided with wrench holes 64 shown in Fig. 1. The sealing disc 58, which is preferably made of rubber, is tightly clamped at its outer edge by the closure 62, preferably through the use of a metal ring 66 best shown in Figs. 2 and 4,. The inner edge of sealing disc or washer 58 is clamped between a shoulder 68, formed on cammingdisc 48, and a thrust ring I0 compressed against the sealing disc 58 through ball bearings 12 forced inwardly by the closure62. It will thus be seen that the sealing disc is clamped at both its inner and outer peripheries, thereby effectively preventing leakage. lation of the camming disc is freely permitted by a corresponding torsional displacement between the clamped inner and the clamped outer peripheries of the sealing member.

When valve 42 is opened, the liquid carbon dioxide flows upwardly through nozzle 46 to the expansion jet E. This, as is best shown in Fig. 6,

is provided with a plurality of minute discharge openings I4, resulting in a fine spray of carbon dioxide and formation of solid carbon dioxide.

It has already been mentioned that the valve mechanism D is controlled'by a diaphragm H. The diaphragm is made of flexible material, for example rubber, and is clamped at its outer edge to the bottom wall of the expansion chamber by means of a clamping ring 82. The inner edge of the flexible diaphragm is supported by the jet E, the diaphragm being clamped between the jet and the mating top of nozzle 46, as is best shown in Figs. 4 and 6. The jet is screwed into nozzle 46 and may be tightened through the aid of wrench holes 84.

The diaphragm rests upon and is supported over substantially its entire area by a movable plate '86. This plate is normally urged upwardly .1

by a compression spring 88 surrounding nozzle 46, the upper end of the spring bearing directly on plate 86, and the lower end of the spring resting on a washer 90 supported by the nut 92 of the nozzle. upward strain is placed on the flexible diaphragm because the upward movement'of plate 86 is definitely limited by motion limiting stop pins 84 best shown in Fig. 1. These pins pass freely through flanges 86 castintegrally with the valve I casing, and the upward movement is limited by adjustment of nuts 98.

Downward movement of plate 86' is transmitted through links I00 to arms I 02 pivoted on the -valve casing at I04. Arms I02 are rigidly connected for simultaneous movement by a cross rod I06. The lower extremity of one of arms I02 is connected by a pin I08 to a tension spring IIO connected at its other end through pin II2 to the operating arm 56 of the valve. The mean po- Atthe same time the small necessary oscil-" Despite the stiffness of spring 88, no ';t

sition of movement of pin I08 corresponds to the center of the valve operating mechanism, so

a that when pin I08 is moved to a point substantially above the center of the valve operating mechanism, the valve arm 56 is drawn upwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby opening the valve and permitting flow or discharge of carbon dioxide.

The formation of additional solid'carbon dioxide in the expansion chamber bears downwardly on diaphragm H and thus moves the pin I08 downwardly. When this movement is sufficient to bring the line of action of spring. IIO below the center of the valve mechanism, the valve arm 56 is oscillated downwardly and the valve is closed. It will be evident that the valve is operated unstably between either a fully closed position or a fully opened position, the opening being determined by adjustment of an eccentric stop H4. The actual operation of the valve and particularly the closing pressure is obtained through the tension of spring 0 rather than through any direct force applied by diaphragm H. The slight movements of the diaphragm are greatly multiplied by the arms I02 which determine the line of action of the operating spring H0. In order to afford accurate adjustment of this line of action without requiring undue precision in manufacture, the terminal pin H2 is eccentrically mounted on lever 56, as is best shown in Fig. 2. Excessive pressure below valve 42 is relieved by a hole 43 leading to the much larger camming disc chamber. This hole is visible in Fig. 4 but is better shown in Fig. 9.

The expansion cone G is preferably disposed at the center of the cooling coil and directly above the jet E. This cone G is somewhat flexible and is preferably made of leather or molded rubber only partially hardened to an approxi mately leather-like condition. The lower end of the cone is flanged outwardly and clamped between clamping rings I20 drawn together by screws not shown in the drawings. The resulting chamber above the jet provides heat transfer surfacebetween the refrigerant and the brine.

It further operates to permit expansion of the intermediate liquid or brine surrounding the cooling coils. Because of its conical shape it also functions to help produce movement of diaphragm H and consequently of the valve mechanism, for there is a downward component of force produced by the formation of solid refrigerant in the cone.

The complete expansion chamber includes the bottom wall 80 heretofore referred to as supporting the'diaphragm, a cylindrical side wall I22 preferably outwardly flanged at I24, and a top wall I26. Theflanges I24 not only facilitate assembly of the top and bottom walls with the side wall, but also form a natural spacing between the side wall and an outer sheath I28, which spacing is preferably filled with appropriate heat insulation material I30. The top of the unit may also be covered with heat insulation, if

' beverage cooler 300 meshes or wires to the linear inch, said screen arresting the passage of the particles of solid refrigerant first formed.

The solidifier screens permit the evolution of gaseous carbon dioxide as heat is abstracted from the beverage being cooled. This vapor may, if desired, be wasted, but for the sake of economy I prefer to additionally employ the same to elevate the beverage from a container upwardly to the cooling coil and tap. In the case of beer, for example, it is common practice to anyway employ a carbon dioxide tank in order to elevate beer from the cask or barrel upwardly to the bar. With my apparatus the carbon dioxide is preliminarily employed for refrigeration, as heretofore described, and the evolved vapor is then available for the additional function of elevating the beer to the top. For this purpose the heads I36 and I38 are interconnected by a balance pipe I40, and one of the heads, in this case head I38, is connected to the beer keg by 'a pipe I42.

To prevent the application of excessive pressure to the beverage in the container, the apparatus is preferably provided with a safety valve. In the present case the head I36 is provided with a ball I44 forced downwardly by spring I46 the tension of which is adjustable by an adjusting screw I48. When the pressure exceeds a desired amount, say, in the range of 8 to 18 pounds per square inch, the ball is elevated and the pressure relieved through a discharge nozzle I50. The head I38 is preferably constructed exactly like the head I36, but in this case the spring is omitted, so that the ball I52 in head I38 acts simply as a check valve, preventing back-pressure or back-flow from pipe I42 into the cooler. It will be noted that the balance pipe I40 interconnects the heads 'I36 and I38 at a point below the valves, so that free balancing of pressure is afforded and, in effect, the spaced heads act as a single large head.

It should be appreciated that the complete is exceedingly compact. A cooler using feet of %-inch tinned copper tubing as a cooling coil is only about 8 inches in diameter. It is therefore possible to locate the unit immediately at the tap on'the bar, with a negligible length of pipe between the cooling coil outlet and the tap. This avoids the wasteful present practice of throwing away the first drink when no closely preceding sale has been made.

The resulting arrangement is schematically indicated in Fig. 10 in which it will be seen that the beverage cooling unit A is located immediately at the tap or valve T, the outlet pipe 22 being either entirely omitted or negligible in length. The beverage is supplied from a container, in this case the beer keg K, through a pipe l2, and the waste carbon dioxide gas is fed from the unit A to the keg K through pipe I42.

These pipes may be connected in the conventional manner to the usual fitting I60 which is v driven in the bung hole of the keg. The carbon dioxide gas is supplied from a cylinder or liquefier L to the unit A through the feed pipe 36. It will be understood that refrigerants other than carbon dioxide may be employed, as well as carbon dioxide mixed with other chemicals.

A modified form of valve eperating'mechanism for the unit is shown in Figs. '7, 8, and 9 of the drawings. Referring to these figures, the valve mechanism is again indicated by the letter D and is operated by the diaphragm H. As be fore, the diaphragm is supported by plate 86 normally urged upwardly by compression spring screens.

88, but in this case the motion limiting stop pins may be omitted, the upward movement of the diaphragm instead being limited by the eccentric valve stop II4. Movement of diaphragm H is transmitted through links III!) to arms I82 and I84 pivoted at I66 and rigidly interconnected by tie bars I68. Lever I62 is projected beyond lever I84 and is connected at I18 to a vertical link I12 the lower end of which is slotted at I14 and connected to'valve operating lever I16 by means of an eccentrically mounted adjustable pin I18.

The arm I16 is, of course, connected to the trunnion 54 of camming disc 48 best shown in Fig. 9, and thereby adapted through'the finger 50 on camming disc 48 to reciprocate the valve 42. It will be understood that the sealing of the camming disc in the valve chamber is accomplished by means of a rubber disc 58 just as has already been described in connection with the first form of the invention.

It is important to note the passage 43 interconnecting the camming disc chamber with the closed bottom end of the valve cylinder. This construction provides an unbalanced valve which, when once closed, tends to remain tightly closed under the pressure of the refrigerant itself, thus effectually preventing leakage.

Because of the extremely high pressure of the refrigerant, it is desirable to reduce the aforesaid closing force in order not to require an excessive force to open the valve. For this purpose I extend the arm I18 beyond its connection to the camming disc, forming an extension I11, and

place a compression spring I18 between a block I88, mounted on extension I11, and a block I82 mounted on an adjusting screw I84 threaded in an appropriate part of the valve chamber casting I88. Spring I18 tends to open the valve and thereby partially relieves the pressure of the refrigerant on the bottom of the valve. The resultantclosing pressure of the valve is, of course, adjusted by means of screw I84 the adjustment of which may be locked by nut I88.

The density of the solid refrigerant'needed to provide outward movement of the diaphragm H is, of course, determined by the resistance of the main compression spring 88. It is desirable to be able to adjust the density of the solid refrigerant from the outside of the unit after installation, and for this purpose I use, in addition to the main spring 88, an auxiliary spring I88 tensioned between a stationary arm I82 and movable arms I94 formed integrally with arms I82 and I8. It will be evident that spring I98 urges the bell crank arms in a counterclockwise direction about the fulcrum I68 and thereby urges links I upwardly, thus assisting the upward pressure of spring 88. The tension of spring ISO is adjustable from outside of the unit by means of a screw I98 threaded in a block I88 formed onlever I92 and hearing at its inner end against the valve chamber casting I88;

In operation, when refrigerant is first supplied to the unit, the valve is, of course, open due to the pressure of spring 88. The refrigerant flows through jet E, and particles-of solid refrigerant are formed which are arrested by the solidifler This continues until the expansion chamber is filled withsolid refrigerant, whereupon the diaphragm begins to move downwardly, this movement being permitted by the slot I14 on link I12. When the lost motion has been taken up, further movement of the diaphragm closes the valve and thus stops further formation of solid refrigerant. The valve is kept tightly closed Slot I14.

by the pressure of the liquid refrigerant. As the solid refrigerant is consumed or gasifled, the diaphragmbegins to rise, and a large part of its movement is accommodated by the lost motion Additional consumption of the solid refrigerant finally unbalances the diaphragm so greatly that it moves further and opens the valve which is then readily moved to its fully open position. v

It is believed that the mode of constructing and using, as well as the many advantages of my improved beverage cooler, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. The cooler may be used for any liquid or beverage, although especially useful for beer. The unit is instantaneously responsive to fluctuating sale, for the supply of liquid carbon dioxide is always available and is immediately transformed into solid carbon dioxide characterized by a temperature so low that no difficulty is experienced in cooling the beverage as fast as it can be drawn through the cooling coil. In this respect the apparatus is wholly superior to mechanical refrigerators employing a motor and compressor, for such refrigerators are designed to meet average rather than extreme conditions. The unit is simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, and may be installed at negligible cost with negligible space requirement. It is economical in operation because the carbon dioxide is employed first as a refrigerant and then to elevate the beverage from the barrel or container to the tap. The apparatus is clean, dry, silent, trouble-free, fully automatic, and requires no such attention as is needed for mechanical or iced units. A separate unitmay be and preferably is used at each tap, and the consumption of refrigerant is limited to the taps in active use. The temperature may be limited to prevent freezing and spoiling of the beverage.

It will be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in preferred forms, many changes and modifications may be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the following. claims. In said claims I use-. the convenient term brine for any intermediate fluid regardless of whether or not saline.

I claim:

1. A beverage cooler comprising an outer casing, a brine tank therein, a cooling coil immersed in the brine, a tap connected to the outlet of the cooling coil, solid carbon dioxide within the easing and surrounding the brine tank, an outlet for gaseous carbon dioxide. and a conduit for conveying the gaseous carbon dioxide to a container of the beverage, in order to elevate the beverage to the cooling coil and tap. i

2. A beverage cooler comprising an outer casing, a brinetank therein, a cooling coil immersed in the brine, a tap at the outlet of the cooling coil, solid carbon dioxide within the casing and surrounding the brine tank, an outlet for gaseous carbon dioxide, a conduit for conveying the gaseous carbon dioxide to a container of the beverage, in order to elevate the beverage to the cooling coil and tap, and a safety valve for limiting the elevating pressure applied to the container. 3. A beverage cooler comprising an expansion chamber for carbon dioxide, a jet leading into the expansion chamber, a valve controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide to the jet, a beverage cooling coil, and means operating the valve automatically in response to the extent of formation of solid carbon dioxide in the expansion chamber.

4. A beverage cooler comprising an expansion chamber for a refrigerant, a jet leading into the expansion chamber, a valve controlling the flow of liquid refrigerant to the jet, a brine tank in said chamber, a beverage cooling coil in said brine tank, means operating the valve automatically in response to the extent of formation of solid carbon dioxide in the expansion chamber, and a solidifier screen .on said chamber for escape of the refrigerant in vapor phase.

5. A beverage cooler comprising an expansion chamber for carbon dioxide, a jet leading into the expansion chamber, a valve controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide to the jet, a brine tank in said chamber, a beverage cooling coil in said brine tank, a movable diaphragm forming a part of said chamber and operating the valve in response to the formation of solid carbon dioxide in the expansion chamber, and a solidifier screen on said chamber for escape of gaseous carbon dioxide.

6. A beverage cooler comprising an expansion chamber for carbon dioxide, a jet for liquid carbon dioxide leading into the expansion chamber, a beverage cooling coil, a solidifier screen for passage of gaseous carbon dioxide, and a conduit for conveying the gaseous carbon dioxide to a container of the beverage, in order to elevate beverage to the cooling coil.

7. A beverage cooler comprising an expansion chamber for carbon dioxide, a jet leading into the expansion chamber, a valve for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide t'o-the jet, a brine tank in said chamber, a beverage cooling coil in said brine tank, a solidifier screen for passage of gaseous carbon dioxide, and a conduit for conveying the gaseous carbon dioxide to a container of the beverage, in order to elevate beverage to the cooling coil.

8. A beverage cooler comprising an expansion chamber for carbon dioxide, a jet leading into the expansion chamber, a valve for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide to the jet, a brine tank in said chamber, a beverage cooling coil in said brine tank, means operating the valve automatically in response to the refrigeration obtained, a solidifier screen for passage of gaseous carbon dioxide, and a conduit for conveying the gaseous carbon dioxide to a container of the beverage, in order to elevate beverage to the cooling coil.

9. A beverage cooler comprising an expansion chamber for carbon dioxide, a jetleading into the expansion chamber, a valve for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide to the jet, 9. brine tank in said chamber, a beverage cooling coil in said brine tank, a movable diaphragm forming a part of the expansion chamber and operating the valve in response to the formation of solid carbon dioxide in the expansion chamber, a solidifier screen on said chamber for passage of gaseous carbon dioxide a' conduit for conveying the gaseous carbon dioxide to a container of the beverage, in order to elevate beverage to the cooling coil, and a safety valve for limiting the elevating pressureapplied to the container.

10. Valve mechanism including a valve casing, a reciprocable valve therein, an oscillatable camming element in said casing for moving said and means clamping the same at its inner'and outer peripheries to the valve casing and cam--v ming element.

11. Valve mechanism for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide to an expansion jet, said valve mechanism including a valve casing, a reciprocable valve therein, an oscillatable camming I element in 'said casing for moving said valve, and 5 means for preventing leakage of carbon dioxide through the bearing of the oscillatable camming element. including a generally circular rubber diaphragm, and means clamping the same at its inner and outer peripheries to the valve casing and camming element, whereby the inner and outer peripheries of said rubber disc are displaced in torsion upon oscillation of the camming element.

12. Refrigerator mechanism for forming solid carbon dioxide from liquid carbon dioxide, said mechanism including an expansion chamber, a jet leading into said expansion chamber, valve mechanism for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide to the jet, andmeans for controlling the operation of the valve mechanism including a flexible diaphragm forming a part of the expansion chamber, and means to stop the flow of carbon dioxide when the formation of solid carbon dioxide in the expansion chamber bears against and outwardly displaces the aforesaid diaphragm.

13. Refrigerator mechanism for forming solid carbon dioxide from liquid carbon dioxide, said mechanism including an expansion chamber, a jet leading into said expansion chamber; valve mechanism for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide to. the jet, and means for controlling the operation of the valve mechanism includin a flexible rubber diaphragm forming a part of 5 the expansion chamber, reinforcing means outside said diaphragm, resilient means normally urging said reinforcing means against the diaphragm and inwardly of the expansion chamber, and means so interconnecting said reinforcing means and the valve mechanism as to stop the flow of liquid carbon dioxide when the formation of solid carbon dioxide in the expansion chamber bears against and outwardly displaces the aforesaid'diaphragm.

' move the valve to its closed position when the formation of solid carbon dioxide in the expansion chamber bears against and outwardly displaces the aforesaid diaphragm.

15. Refrigerator mechanism for forming solid carbon dioxide from liquid carbon dioxide, said mechanism including an expansion chamber, a

jet leading into said expansion chamber, valve mechanism for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide to the jet, said valve mechanism in cluding a casing, a reciprocable valve therein, an oscillatable camming element in said casing for moving saidvalve, and means to prevent leakage of carbon dioxide through said camming mechanism including a flexible seal the inner and outer edges of which are clamped to the valve casing and camming element, and means for controlling the operation of the valve mechanism in- 75,

eluding a flexible diaphragm forming a part of the expansion chamber, and means to stopthe flow of carbon dioxide when the diaphragm is forced outwardly.

16. Refrigerator mechanism for forming solid carbon dioxide from liquid carbon dioxide, said mechanism including an expansion chamber, a jet leading into said expansion chamber, valve mechanism for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide to the jet, said valve mechanism including a casing, a reciprocable valve therein, an oscillatable camming element in said casing for moving said valve, and means to prevent leakage of carbon dioxide through said camming mechanism including a generally circular rubber disc the inner and outer edges of which are clamped to the valve casing and camming element, and means controlling the operation of the valve mechanism including a flexible rubber diaphragm forming a part of the expansion chamber, reinforcing means outside said diaphragm, resilient means normally urging said reinforcing means against the diaphragm and inwardly of. the expansion chamber, and means so interconnecting said reinforcing means and the valve mechanism as to stop the flow of carbon dioxide when the diaphragm is forced outwardly.

17. A beverage cooler comprising inner and outer containers having a refrigerant space therebetween, a cooling coil in said inner container, a brine surrounding said cooling coil in said inner container, an expansion jet at the bottom of said outer container, and a hollow cone-shaped expansion dome the large open bottom end of which is secured to the bottom wall of the inner container above the expansion jet, said expansion chamber being made of a partially yieldable material.

18. A beverage cooler comprising inner and outer containers forming an expansion chamber therebetween, a cooling coil in said inner container, a brine surrounding said cooling coil in said inner container, a downwardly yieldable diaphragm at the bottomof the outer container, an expansion jet leading into said outer container at 5 the middle of said diaphragm, valve mechanism for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide thereto, means interconnecting the diaphragm and valve mechanism for operating the valve, and a hollow expansion dome the open bottom end of. 10 which is secured to the bottom wall of the inner container above the expansion jet'and diaphragm.

19. A beverage cooler comprising, inner and outer cylindrical chambers having a refrigerant space therebetween, a cooling coil in said inner 15 chamber, a brine surrounding said cooling coil in said inner chamber, a downwardly yieldable diaphragm at the bottom of the outer chamber, an expansion jet leading into said outer container at the middle of said diaphragm, valve mecha- 20 nism for controlling the flow of liquid carbon dioxide thereto, means interconnecting the diaphragm and valve mechanism for operatingthe valve, and a hollow cone-shaped expansion dome the large open bottom end of which is secured 25 to the bottom wall of the inner chamber above the expansion jet and diaphragm, said expansion dome being made of a partially yieldable rubber material.

20. A beverage cooler comprising inner and outer containers forming an expansion chamber therebetween, a cooling coil in said inner container, a brine surrounding said cooling coil in said inner container, an expansion jet leading into said outer container, and a hollow expansion member made of yieldable material and located in said inner container in order to accommodate expansion of the brine.

WAL'I'ER D. MARING. 40 

